Gregg Galardi is a partner in the firm’s business restructuring department. Gregg has broad global experience and has represented some of the most well-known debtors and distressed borrowers, in a wide variety of industries. Gregg has over 25 years of experience in both in court and out of court restructurings and reorganizations. He also serves the firm's sponsor client base and portfolio company clients in distressed M&A and special situations.
Gregg is a Fellow of the American College of Bankruptcy and was recently awarded Law360’s 2021 “Bankruptcy MVP” and The Deal’s 2021 “Debtor Counsel of the Year, Middle Market”. He formerly served as an adjunct professor at Vanderbilt Law School and is a frequent speaker on Chapter 11 issues.
Gregg has garnered significant accolades for his work, including recognition as a “Star Individual” by Chambers & Partners. Chambers USA has recognized Gregg in the area of Bankruptcy/Restructuring. His “reputation as an outstanding practitioner precedes him,” as he “is considered one of the foremost restructuring experts in the country,” with “a very strong track record in large debtor cases.” In addition, he has been praised for his “understanding of client objectives” and for “wanting to execute aggressively and take a pragmatic approach in reaching those goals.” Gregg “does a great job of being succinct and capturing issues in a way that can be digested by business people.” In 2013 and 2014, the Global M&A Network honored Gregg as one of the Top 100: Global Restructuring and Turnaround Professionals. The Legal 500 United States has recommended him, as he has a “wealth of experience.”
Experience
- Represented Shoes For Crews, a leading producer of non-slip shoes, in a sale to a group of its secured lenders through voluntary chapter 11 proceedings and in obtaining approximately $30 million in DIP financing from the secured lenders acquiring the business.
- Representing ReStore Capital, LLC as administrative and collateral agent to Express, LLC, a multi-brand fashion retailer with more than 550 retail stores, in connection with (i) a prepetition second lien asset-based term loan facility and (ii) a debtor in possession financing facility provided by funds and accounts managed by ReStore Capital, Gordon Brothers and First Eagle in the chapter 11 cases of Express, LLC and certain of its affiliates.
- Representing Ansira Partners, a marketing services and technology platform, in its sale to middle-market private equity firm Truelink Capital.
- Representing FB Debt Financing Guarantor, LLC and certain of its subsidiaries (“Forma Brands”), a builder of top beauty brands including Morphe®, Morphe 2®, Jaclyn Cosmetics®, and Born Dreamer®, in their Chapter 11 cases to address approximately $870 million of funded indebtedness, facilitate a going-concern 363 sale transaction for substantially all assets, and resolve numerous complex licensing and potential litigation issues.
- Representing Output Services Group, Inc. and certain of its affiliates in connection with its prepackaged Chapter 11 cases. Output Services Group is a leading provider of integrated customer communications and engagement services. The company’s plan of reorganization successfully restructured approximately $825 million of funded indebtedness through a consensual deleveraging of approximately $134 million and new money capital infusion of approximately $70 million.
- Representing amici curiae law professors in connection with their submission to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals in the Purdue Pharma chapter 11 cases.
- Representing the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors in Bouchard Transportation’s chapter 11.
- Representing Altamont Capital Partners in connection with its joint purchase of prepetition debt of Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas, an owner and operator of dine-in movie theaters, joint provision of $60 million of debtor in possession financing, and credit bid for a substantial part of the business and assets of Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas through its chapter 11 cases.
- Represented Aquiline Capital Partners LLC as the pre-petition agent, Aquiline Agent Services LLC as the DIP agent, and In-Shape Acquisition 2021, LLC as stalking horse purchaser and ultimately the successful purchaser in connection with the In-Shape Holdings, LLC chapter 11 cases.
- Representing Rubio’s Grill, the operator and franchisor of approximately 170 limited service restaurants across California, Arizona and Nevada, in its chapter 11 cases to reduce its secured indebtedness on a consensual basis, address its operational footprint, and obtain a significant liquidity infusion upon emergence from chapter 11. Winner of Global M&A Network’s 2021 Turnaround Atlas Awards: Corporate Restructuring.
- Representing Centric Brands Inc., a leading lifestyle brands collective, and certain of its subsidiaries in their chapter 11 cases to recapitalize approximately $1.8 billion in funded indebtedness. Centric filed with a restructuring support agreement backed by its key funded debtholders, $435 million in debtor-in-possession financing, and a path to a quick and consensual emergence with a capital structure reduced by approximately $700 million. Winner of Global M&A Network’s 2021 Turnaround Atlas Awards: Chapter 11 Restructuring.
- Representing VIP Cinema Holdings, Inc. and certain of its affiliates (“VIP”), a multinational enterprise that is one of the largest manufacturers, and a pioneer, of luxury seating products for movie theaters, in its prepackaged Chapter 11 case in Delaware. In connection with its restructuring, VIP reached agreements with its first lien and second lien lenders, and its private equity sponsor, prior to filing the Chapter 11 case to deleverage its balance sheet by approximately $178 million.
- Lead counsel representing AeroGroup International LLC, a women’s footwear retailer, in its Chapter 11 case.
- Lead counsel representing Elliott Management Corporation as the largest unsecured creditor in the Chapter 11 cases of Energy Future Intermediate Holding Company LLC and its debtor affiliates.
- Lead counsel representing Gawker Media, LLC, a media publication, in its Chapter 11 case.
- Lead counsel representing City Sports Inc., a retailer, in its Chapter 11 case.
- Lead counsel representing the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors of Sabine Oil & Gas Corporation, et. al., an oil and gas exploration company, in its Chapter 11 case.
- Co-lead counsel representing Standard General, a hedge fund, in its debtor in possession financing and acquisition of a substantial part of the business and assets of RadioShack in its Chapter 11 case.*
- Lead counsel representing Delia’s Inc., a teen clothing company, in its Chapter 11 case.*
- Lead counsel representing Noble Logistics, a privately held logistics company, in its Chapter 11 case.*
- Lead counsel representing Ahern Rentals, a family owned equipment rental company, with over $620 million in debt, in its successful Chapter 11 reorganization in which equity retained its ownership upon emergence.*
- Lead counsel representing Reddy Ice, Inc., a packaged ice company, in its over US$100MM Chapter 11 reorganization.*
- Lead counsel representing Trailer Bridge, Inc., a shipping company, in its Chapter 11 reorganization.*
- Lead counsel representing CIT Group, Inc. in the largest pre-packaged bankruptcy and fifth largest bankruptcy case of all time, with its successful Chapter 11 Reorganization.*
- Lead counsel representing Fisker Automotive, in the A123 Chapter 11 case.*
- Lead counsel representing Boston Finance Group, the Unsecured Creditors’ Committee Chair, in the Revstone Chapter 11 cases.*
Representations completed prior to joining Ropes & Gray.*